


Dummies Guide to Being X-Rated

by hoesquared



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Varian Has Issues (Disney)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:00:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24576466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoesquared/pseuds/hoesquared
Summary: Varian is just your average chemistry student- if your average chemistry student also worked a side job as a cam boy, that is. Determined to keep that part of his life a secret, Varian keeps his head down and keeps to himself most days, focusing on his home and school life. However, when his nosey classmate finds out about his double life, it throws a bit of a wrench in his plans. Just a slight one. No big deal, right?
Relationships: Hugo/Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

"When the following equation is balanced with the smallest possible set of integers, what is the sum of all the coefficients?" Varian muttered to himself, reading over his chemistry homework for the night.

_'Cr2O7^2- + H2S - > Cr^3+ +S (in acidic solution)' _

He sighed, tapping his fingers along the surface of his work desk. His eyes narrowed on the equation below, brows furrowed in thought as he looked through the letters and numbers. The homework wasn't difficult by any means, but it was _time consuming_ , and Varian had a tight schedule. He couldn't afford to waste a single moment, even if he was exhausted from a busy school day and work filled night. If he took a break now, he was certain the homework would go unfinished and he'd regret it in the morning.

So no breaks. No _distractions_.

Before Varian could get to work solving the problem, he felt a slight vibration from beside him on the desk. Quirking a brow, Varian glanced over at his phone screen to see it lit up with a notification then groaned. He set his pencil aside and reached for his phone, swiping past the lock screen and scrolling through his unread messages.

" _So much for no distractions..._ " Varian huffed, selecting his newest unread message.

It was from a contact he'd labeled as 'That one guy from math class' a while back. The two had been assigned to a group project in Linear Algebra, but they'd finished it _weeks_ ago. They barely even talked, their texts reduced to the two deciding to each take one half of the project and move on. So why was this guy messaging him _now_? Maybe their professor found out they didn't collaborate properly- or worse, the other cheated and Varian would have to suffer for it.

He braced himself, holding his breath as he read the text.

'Meet me at my place tomorrow after school.'

Varian squinted, staring at the screen a moment longer to make sure he'd read it right and to make sure he didn't miss anything. Not only did the other not give a reason as to why he wanted Varian to visit, but he didn't give an address either. So he wasn't sure exactly how his classmate expected Varian to visit in the first place. Just as Varian was beginning to think that he had the wrong number, another text followed.

'6420 Modelo st apt 102'

Okay, so maybe he didn't have the wrong number. Frowning, Varian was quick to message back.

'Something wrong with the project???'

He waited for a response, hoping for the best. Varian already had enough work as it was; he didn't need another project to worry about, let alone a project he'd already done.

'Project?'

'Oh'

'Haha no'

Varian's shoulders slumped as he exhaled with relief.

'Just a date'

He stared at the text, face contorting at the notion. "I don't think so." He scoffed, typing out a 'no thanks' before tossing his phone to the side. The audacity this man had, wasting Varian's time and asking him out. The two had barely shared around five texts, and he wanted to go on a date? That wasn't happening. Not in a million years.

Varian continued to work though the problem, having to read through it once more due to the previous distraction. Halfway though solving it, the device buzzed once more, lighting up with a notification. The lead in Varian's pencil snapped at the applied pressure, and he found himself reaching for his phone again. He was going to tell the creep off, and this time around it wouldn't be so nice. Varian unlocked his screen, and just as he was about to type up a less than kindly response, his fingers froze over the text bar.

' _I know you're a cam boy.'_

Oh.

His chair creaked as he let himself sink back into it, a perplexed expression painting his features. A spike of anxiety stung his chest and he shifted in place to try easing his nerves- it didn't work. He wasn't exactly the best people person, but he wasn't stupid. He knew what this was. This was blackmail, and as much as he'd like to tell his classmate to shove it, he was in no position to do so. In order to keep the peace ( _and his secret_ ), Varian would have to play along.

'What time did you want me to come over?'

Varian didn't bother to look at the response right away, setting his phone down for the night in order to finish his work. He resharpened his pencil, then made himself busy with the problem he couldn't seem to finish before.

  1. The solution was 24.



Varian spent the following school day in a muddled mixture of emotions. Each emotion was unbalanced and unmeasured, risking in catastrophic disaster. With each class, his feelings threatened to boil over. He was angry at first, upset and frustrated at the fact that someone managed to recognize him through the videos he posted. Varian didn't even show his face, nor did he speak. _So what gave him away?_ And how could that guy have the nerve to call him out like that? Of course, after letting his frustrations simmer, an exhaustion took over.

This was yet another person he had to entertain, and at this point he wasn't really surprised. He was just annoyed, tired, and overwhelmed. He decided he'd do whatever it took to keep things at bay, and he wasn't about to let one of his occupations be the downfall of his education and future career. Varian would be compliant and play along until he got his degree, then he'd tell them all to _shove it_. He was a survivalist, and things would turn out, eventually. Still, he couldn't help but worry about the crisis at hand. If he wasn't convincing enough, and if he couldn't keep his classmate entertained- well... Shit would hit the fan.

Varian gnawed at the inside of his cheek, running through every scenario where things could potentially go wrong. Then he cycled through his plan of action for each scenario, and mentally prepared himself for the worse. That way, there was a better chance of getting past the issue unscathed. 

He sat through bio chem without saying much more than a hello to who he'd consider to be his best friend. They were only really friends because Nuru decided they were, going out of her way to make conversation with him whenever she saw him. Since their first day of class, Nuru took a liking to the boy, always asking him hypothetical questions and what ifs. At first, Varian was annoyed and wished the girl would just leave him alone, but somewhere along the line, Varian found himself indulging in their conversations and looking forward to their shared classes and lunches. Varian wasn't the most open individual, but Nuru managed to bring him out of his shell from time to time. Today, however, Varian only gave short responses to her questions, or an indifferent shrug of his shoulders.

When lunch came around, Varian ignored Nuru's prying eyes. She seemed to always know when something was bothering him, and it further annoyed him that she pestered him with never ending questions and accusations. While she was a good friend over all, she had a tendency to get over involved in his personal life. He had to keep his guard up, or else she'd find out about his secret too, and he didn't want to be dealing with that anytime soon. Knowing Nuru, she'd rebuke him in a motherly fashion, and maybe even smack him with one of her sandals.

"What is it this time? You're dad again?" The younger girl asked, tilting her head as she stared the boy down.

Varian continued to pick at his salad, stone cold eyes never leaving the mess of greens. "How many times do I have to tell you. _Nothing_ , is wrong. _Everything_ is _fine_."

"Yeah," Nuru chimed, "You keep saying that. But you haven't at all touched your food-"

" _Hey, I've touched it_!" Varian argued, only for Nuru to raise a brow.

"Well you haven't eaten. And you've barely spoken a word since we sat down."

"Maybe I just don't have anything to say."

"You ALWAYS have something to say."

Varian rolled his eyes, setting his fork down and folding his arms on the table. When he didn't respond, Nuru sighed, propping her chin over her hand.

"I'm just worried about you..."

Varian was quiet a moment longer before his brows furrowed and his expression darkened. He abruptly stood, slinging his backpack over his shoulder on the way up. " _Well don't_."

With that, Varian was off to his next class, ignoring Nuru as she called out to him. She could scold him for not eating later through text; right now, he had more important things to worry about.

He attended the next couple of classes and struggled to get the assigned homework done in class, since he likely wouldn't have much time for it later. Varian managed to get the majority of it done, all except for a bit of assigned reading, but he could do that before bed. Luckily, he didn't have Linear Algebra on Wednesdays, so he wouldn't have to worry about seeing his other classmate until after school. It would save him the trouble of trying to remain calm and collected through class, though in the end, he supposed it didn't really matter. Varian still had to face the guy after school, and then see him in class on Fridays and Tuesdays, then probably late nights throughout each week. It was unfortunate, but he could make it work.

Varian made sure to avoid Nuru after school, quick to get to his dad's old car and get the engine running. It always took a few turns of the key to get the engine running of course, never starting exactly when Varian wanted it to. The rust bucket had its quirks and faults, but a bad ride was better than no ride at all, he supposed. If he could afford it, he'd get a new car for himself, or install air conditioning into this one at least.

Once Varian was able to get the car up and running, he pulled out his phone to shoot his dad a quick text, reassuring the man that he was alright. Even though Varian was a grown man who didn't need an excuse to leave the house, if he didn't text Quirin now, he knew he'd be getting calls later. And Varian didn't exactly relish the thought of a mid-sex phone call from his dad. 

'Heading out for a while to study with a friend. Be back around Five.'

After sending the message, he pulled up his classmate's address then buckled up. "Alright…" Varian mumbled to himself, "No problem… _We've got this._ "

The apartment wasn't too far from the school, but after hitting what felt like every stoplight and construction area possible, he ended up being a few minutes later than he would have liked to be. He hoped his classmate wouldn't make a big deal about the timing, and parked a bit farther from the complex, walking the rest of the way. Varian made his way up a set of stairs, then read over the address once more to make sure he had the right one.

" _102_ …" he huffed, shoulders stiff with stress, "This is it…"

After taking a deep breath and rolling his shoulders back, Varian gave a consecutive three knocks and waited. It took a good minute, but eventually the door opened slightly to reveal bright green eyes, wide with surprise.

" _Oh._ " His classmate spoke, blinking at the sight of Varian. "You're actually here."

The blond's hair was damp, likely from a recent shower, and drawn into a messy ponytail as if he were in a rush to put it up. Varian wondered why anyone would shower just to get dirty again, but didn't question it. He wasn't going to complain, since he'd much rather fuck someone who was clean rather than someone who clearly hadn't showered in over three days. Varian was grateful.

As his classmate opened the door further, Varian eyes flickered down to the shirt he wore and his jaw dropped a bit at the sight of it. It was a vintage baggy white tee with an image of Captain Kirk in black and blue ink, along with the text 'Beam me up, Scotty!!' beside it. This shirt in particular was from the 70s- _AND_ in good condition. Varian recalled seeing a similar shirt on etsy once, but it ran for over six hundred dollars, and nobody in their right mind would buy that.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up, but I'm glad you did." The blond gave a charming smile and Varian closed his mouth and frowned, remembering why he was here. "Come on in."

His classmate propped the door open with his foot and Varian stepped in, allowing the other to close the door behind him. He took in his surroundings, noting a few beer cans and papers scattered across the kitchen counter. Varian grimaced, looking down to see a few more empty cans lying on the floor, inches away from the trash can. There was some background noise too, and Varian could only assume that a football game was playing on a TV somewhere in the apartment. It was the typical college life he supposed, drinking and sports. He wasn't too surprised.

On the wall beside him there were several key hooks, leading Varian to believe that the guy had a few roommates.

"Sorry for the mess. The cans are from my roommate." 

_And there was the confirmation._

Varian glanced back at the other, biting at the inside of his cheek before speaking. "Are they here?"

"Hmm?"

"The roommates." Varian replied dryly.

"Oh! No, they went out a while ago, actually."

"Good." Varian huffed out, grabbing at the hem of his shirt and beginning to lift it up and over his head. "I have to be somewhere by six, so let's make this quick."

The blond stood awkwardly as Varian began to undress, then once the situation registered, he held his hands out to stop him. "Whoa, hey, what are you doing?"

"..." Varian stopped in an odd position, the shirt now off his body but still around his raised arms. He peeked up at the other from under the fabric of his shirt, confused. "I-... Take… _taking my shirt off?_ "

"Why?"

Varian squinted, not moving from his position. _Was he kidding?_ He had to be messing with him. There was no way this guy invited Varian over and didn't want anything from him. Of course, the guy could have wanted to negotiate a price in cash, but…

Sighing, Varian fumbled with his shirt, pulling it back over his bare skin and pressing out the wrinkles with the palm of his hands. "Look, I don't _have_ money. I'm a college student." He deadpanned, giving his classmate an irritable look. 

"Huh? No, I dont want your money..."

"Then what _do_ you want?" Varian snapped back, tired of whatever b.s. the other was pulling. He watched as his classmate stepped closer, and Varian reflexively took a step back. 

Then, with a small smile, the blond responded. " _For you to fix your garbage excuse for pornographic cinematography_ ."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hugo leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up onto his desk and scrolling through content online. He didn't have much to do outside of school, other than make a career out of posting nudes and sticking things up his ass for a crowd. Some would argue that it was a shit job and, undeniably, it** **_was_ ** **. But Hugo didn't mind showing off for the camera, and he had a good time in the process, so it was a win-win. He'd get complete strangers off over a live stream, get cash, and take pride in it.**

**Then in his free time, it was poker. Others gambled, but Hugo didn't. To say he was gambling would insinuate that there was a chance he would lose, but Hugo** **_always_ ** **won, even if he usually cheated his way into winning. Of course, he never got caught either. Hugo was good at what he did, tricking frat boys into playing with him at kickbacks, and feigning non-sober. It was a cheap tactic but it paid the bills, and really it was their own faults for agreeing to play in the first place.**

**Unfortunately, at the time, there were no kickbacks and Hugo was feeling sexually uninspired. So he searched through sex videos online for inspiration, looking for ideas to snag for himself. His search was going unsuccessfully and he was about to give it up in favor of asking his fans what they wanted when he stumbled across a video. It was…. For lack of a better word,** **_interesting_ ** **.**

**Interesting in the way the user seemed to lack any knowledge of decent lighting; Interesting in the way that it was** **_not at all_ ** **interesting. The video was flavorless and Hugo highly doubted the person on screen had taken a theatre class in their life. It was almost painful to watch, if it weren't for the fact that the boy had an attractive body. He had a small frame, slender build with broad shoulders, and a bit of muscle. Hugo wondered if his body was the only appealing thing about him or if he was just shy, because he'd purposefully cut his head out of frame. He assumed the latter after hearing a slight moan cut short in an attempt to completely mute himself. And in that case it was a complete and utter** **_waste_ ** **. Half the fun was getting expressive and being loud, and the user just cut it all out entirely. The user certainly didn't know how to set a scene either, the back and foreground filled with messes of things like scattered papers, dirty laundry, and-**

**Hugo tilted his head and raised a brow as he zoned in on one item in particular; a backpack, sprawled out behind the boy on his bed, thrown there so carelessly. It wasn't too special by any means, matching the common build of any other backpack and not very vibrant in colour either, being a grayish blue hue. But something that caught his eye was the patch near the bottom of the bag holding the thing together, and a familiar little keychain in the shape of an atom attached to one of the zippers. This wasn't just** **_any_ ** **user. This happened to be the boy who sat next to him every day in class on Tuesdays and Fridays. The same nerd who raised his hand to answer every question before anyone else could and answered correctly. The same kid who kept to himself and kept to his work, efficient and not at all bold. He was good with numbers, but he wasn't the best with people.**

**Varian was the last person who he'd expect to be a cam boy, though he wasn't surprised to see his classmate wasn't very good at it. It made Hugo wonder why Varian was doing this at all. To make ends meet? Or maybe, there was the off chance that he actually took enjoyment in posting these shitty videos. Either way, Hugo wasn't about to let this go unnoticed. For Varian's sake (and his own), he needed to throw his classmate a bone and fix this mess before he embarrassed himself any further. Luckily for both of them, Hugo still had Varian's contact information thanks to their last project.**

**Hugo exited the video and scrolled through his contacts, selecting 'boy genius' and typing up a message.**

**  
'Meet me at my place tomorrow after school.'**

****

_"For you to fix your garbage excuse for pornographic cinematography."_

Varian gawked, staring at the other as if he'd misheard. He stood still, blue eyes flickering between his classmate's sharp green ones.

"I… _Excuse me_?" He fumbled over his words, nose scrunching up in distaste.

Hugo's smile didn't drop as he swept his damp hair back, letting out a cocky chuckle. "Fix your terrible porn camera skills? You know," The blond paused, shoving both hands in his pockets. "I have no idea why people watch you. Well- actually _I do_ , but you could have so many more viewers if you just fixed your set up."

Varian recoiled at the laugh, then frowned at the other's response. _What an ass. Who did this guy think he was?_

"Yeah," Varian snarked, " _I heard you._ " His teeth clenched briefly before he let out a short breath resembling a laugh. "If you're so smart, then why don't you just make your own channel and work your own cameras?" Varian glared up at the other, folding his arms over his chest and shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

Hugo's eyes widened with surprise at Varian's question. There was a shift in his expression, eyes softening and brows lowering to a more neutral position before he regained a well practiced smile. He pulled his phone out from his pocket, then began to type as he spoke.

"I do have a channel, actually." Hugo chimed, "A very successful one, thank you very much." 

Then, with a goofy bow of sorts, he showed the phone off to his classmate, putting his nude body on display for Varian to see. The image was fifty shades of lewd, and all shades Varian wasn't planning on seeing again anytime soon.

" _Whoa-, yup,_ " Varian was quick to draw his hands up to block the image from his field of vision, but the image was unfortunately burned into his mind, and no amount of blocking would get rid of it. " _Didn't need proof!_ " He choked out, face flushed and eyes shifting from his hand to the ground as he struggled to form words. This whole scenario was like something from a bad movie, or horribly written fanfiction, and Varian wanted no part in it.

Varian grimaced, "Maybe next time give a _warning?_ Or better yet, keep the pictures to yourself?" 

Hugo stood up straight, blinking in disbelief at the other's reaction before finally pressing the lock button on his phone. _He expected this meeting to go much, much differently_. The blond cleared his throat, tucking his phone away as he took some time to recover. Then with the roll of his eyes, he got to the point.

"Look, all I'm saying is your lighting is the worst thing I've ever seen, your framing is pitiful, and your acting and performance skills are utterly milquetoast. But we can focus on the acting and performance skills later."

" _Milque…_ " Varian muttered under his breath, wracking his brain for a definition. Fed up with the odd word usage and the cocky behavior, Varian moved past it, shaking his head. 

"Look, I don't _need_ help. I'm doing perfectly _fine_ on my own. So you can take your advice and _shove it_ ." Varian barked and Hugo flinched slightly, as if expecting Varian to lash out further. Soon after the outburst however, Varian remembered that Hugo knew about his secret and could _easily_ expose him to anyone, and in the process, potentially ruin his life. His expression softened as he let his pride take the back seat, tense hands relaxing at his sides. 

"Why does it even matter if my videos are any good or not?" Varian asked, heaving a sigh as he waited for an answer. An answer didn't come right away though, as Hugo contemplated, not sure if he had an answer himself.

The blond was silent for a long moment before he clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth and shrugged. "I just figured if an insipid guy like you was a camboy, it was probably for a pretty good reason. I assumed you could use all the extra followers and money you could get. But _excuse me_ for wanting to help a math partner out."

Whatever Hugo was going on about, Varian didn't buy it. No one ever did anything for a math partner. No one ever did anything out of the kindness of their hearts, and _always_ expected something in return. Sex, money, a favor or two.

Hugo reached for Varian's shoulders, grabbing him and spinning him around to face the door.

" _Ey-_ " Varian objected at the abrupt movement, shoulders stiff under Hugo's hands.

Hugo unlocked the door and swung it open before nudging Varian out. "Sorry for wasting both of our time. Good luck on your XXX style escapades buddy!"

Dumbstruck by the turn of events, Varian nearly found himself letting Hugo shut the door on him, catching the doorknob last second before it closed.

" _Wait._ " Varian spoke, the word rushed and near sporadic. He stood in the doorway, silent until he could put the words together in his head. Clearing his throat and fixing his posture, Varian continued, "You're not… uh… going to tell anyone, are you?"

Hugo paused, staring at the boy with confusion and concern, "What? No. No of course not…" he stated. "Though… maybe next time be a little bit more considerate of leaving your junk in the background if you don't want to be found out." The blond gave a light smile to help put the other at ease.

Varian stared at the blond for a long moment before tilting his head, giving Hugo a strange look. "My junk? I never left any-" he paused, the questioning look shifting to panic, then dread. _Did he leave his stuff in the background?_ There was always the off chance that he threw his bag onto the bed once or twice without thinking. It was a bad after school habit, but usually he put his bag aside after he finished his homework. Clearly, he messed up somewhere along the line, otherwise Hugo wouldn't have found out. He'd have to be more careful.

Groaning, Varian facepalmed at his own ignorance. " _Of course._ "

"I…" Varian let his hand fall to his side, letting go of the doorknob and looking up at Hugo. "Thanks…" 

"Yeah, no problem." Hugo replied, "If you ever actually feel like taking the advice, my door is still open. I can teach you to up your camera work n' then you'd make way more cash." He extended his offer once more, but when Varian's brows furrowed, Hugo didn't press. Varian half rolled his eyes, staring off to the side as he waited for Hugo to shut the door.

"My name is Hugo by the way, in case you forgot." 

Varian looked back at Hugo just in time to catch a smile and wink, and regretted it. He was thoroughly unimpressed, but not at all surprised by the flirty behavior.

"Varian." He replied in a cold monotone voice, not returning the smile. "And you're sure. There's… _nothing_ you want." Varian asked again as if the answer would change, or as if there were something he was missing.

"Uh…" Hugo raised a brow, "I _want_ you to fix your shit because you're making _all_ camboys look bad. But aside from that, nah, I'm good _Varian."_

Varian grimaced at the insult. If all Hugo wanted to do was insult him all day and tell him to do better, couldn't he have just done that over text? Maybe he took some sick amusement in scaring people like that. _Maybe he's into that_. Or maybe, he really was just an asshole. Varian bit his tongue as Hugo continued.

"And I… don't want sex with you, if that's what you think. I literally shove shit up my ass daily. I don't need anything else." Hugo laughed, trying to prove he had no intentions of blackmailing the other.

"Right…" Varian nodded, not needing that extra tidbit of information about his sex life. He almost felt like he should be offended by the fact that the guy would rather fuck inanimate objects than him, but he wasn't complaining either. 

"..."

The two stood in awkward silence until Hugo shifted back with a sigh. "Well, sorry for inviting you over Boy Genius. Thought I'd get to show you the ropes as they say, but you seem to have that covered." He chuckled and shook his head. "You've got my number and- oh _great_ , my address now too. Feel free to stop by if you want weed, beer, or, of course, sex tips. Toodles!"

Varian raised a finger and opened his mouth in question, but when the door shut, he took time to register everything Hugo said.

" _I won't!_ " He called out, though Hugo was long gone.

Varian wasn't coming back for drugs or drinks- _and certainly not sex tips._ He'd only be visiting again if he had to, which meant, unless he got another message from Mr. Know it all porn star, Varian was keeping to himself. Huffing out in annoyance, Varian turned on his heel and left, walking back to his car and driving home.


End file.
